Builders and other workmen use scaffolding as a support structure to support workers, tools, and supplies adjacent a building structure in need of work or being constructed. Scaffolding is often portable, can be easily constructed at a job site, and is adjustable to the needs of a given job.
Scaffolding typically comprises support poles, and planks, which are sometimes known as staging, or work platforms, for workers to walk on. Scaffolding typically further comprises brackets for retaining the planks at a specified height on the poles.
Pump jack scaffolding typically includes a bracket incorporating a jack mechanism for adjusting the height of the planks. The brackets are then fixed to the support poles and may be raised and lowered on the support poles by pumping or releasing the jack mechanism.
In some scaffolding assemblies, a single bracket may be used to retain multiple planks, such that the ends of two planks may meet at the bracket. Each plank may then rest on a portion of the bracket. In such embodiments, a mechanism may be incorporated to join the ends of the two planks. However, this joining mechanism may itself be unstable, and may merely be a flexible chain, resulting in planks that still move relative to each other. Further the two planks may move together if too much slack is provided in the joining mechanism, such that a plank may slide off of a corresponding bracket. Finally, in some cases, a worker may fail to properly secure the joining mechanism, which may result in a system collapse and worker injuries.
There is a need for a scaffolding bracket on which multiple planks may be easily and safely secured.